PADRES NOTES: Hundley eager to learn from ugly 2012 season

SAN DIEGO ---- Nick Hundley's season is officially over. The chance to hit the reset button next spring on a disastrous 2012 season isn't exactly a consolation prize, either, as he prepares for surgery to repair meniscus tears in his right knee.

Quite the contrary, actually.

"Obviously, you have to learn from this," said Hundley, who was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Monday. "You can't just say it's done and over. I have to get better professionally for the Padres' organization, for Bud Black and my teammates to help us win more. I can't sit here and say this didn't happen. I have to find a way to get better. ...

"It will be good to self-evaluate a little bit, but at the same time, I'd much rather be out there competing with the guys."

A year removed from a second-half surge (a .656 slugging percentage after the All-Star break) that helped him secure a three-year, $9 million extension, Hundley stumbled to an 0-for-21 start that sent his season into a tailspin. By the time the Padres were forced to call up rookie Yasmani Grandal in late June, Hundley was hitting .166, part of a funk he has yet to solve.

His mechanics, mental stress, approach and confidence likely all played a role, Hundley said.

"I think I've swung more this year than I have at any point in my career during a year," said Hundley, who went on to hit .190 over 13 games at Triple-A Tucson. "There was a lot of trial and error and a lot of work put in, but I couldn't figure out exactly what needed to be done. At the same time, I'm excited about the opportunity to fix it. ...

"It's not a matter of finding ‘it,' because that implies I've lost ‘it.' I know I can play this game. I know I can hit."

Hundley's search will resume after Wednesday's operation, which will clean up some of the damage sustained when his right leg got tangled up with an umpire's as he attempted to block a ball in the dirt in April. He expects a four-to-six week rehabilitation that could allow him to return to baseball this winter.

"Nick's a competitor, and Nick wants to play like all players do," Padres manager Bud Black said. "They don't not want to play. But I think in this case, it's best for Nick to get the surgery done and come back next year and erase a lot of what's happened this year and be totally healthy with the knee and get back to playing baseball."

Thayer returns

Dale Thayer rejoined the Padres before Monday's game after welcoming his third daughter, Ella Grace Thayer, to the family. The right-hander left the team shortly after arriving in Arizona on Thursday for the weekend series after getting the call from his wife, Lisa.

"I talked to her before we left, and she wasn't really feeling any contractions," Thayer said. "Then within the hour, she started feeling it. I got to Arizona and booked a flight right back to San Diego, and I jumped on that."

Ella Grace was born at 3 a.m. ---- after about four hours of labor and an hour and 40 minutes after Thayer arrived at Hogue Hospital in Newport Beach. She weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces and was 18 inches long.

Ella Grace gives Thayer a trio of daughters, joining 3-year-old twins Charlotte and Haley. A push for a boy to add to the rotation, and maybe a pitching staff one day, isn't on tap, Thayer said.

Former Padres closer
Trevor Hoffman
presented Braves 3B
Chipper Jones
with a surfboard before Monday's game. Likely a Hall of Famer, Jones has said he will retire at the end of the season. ... The Padres optioned LHP
Josh Spence
and RHP
Brad Boxberger
to Triple-A Tucson to make room for RHP
Casey Kelly
's debut and RHP
Dale Thayer
's activation from the paternity list. ... LHP
Joe Thatcher
(knee) threw enough in Monday's bullpen session, manager
Bud Black
said. If everything holds up in the next few days, Thatcher could pitch in a minor league rehab assignment before those seasons end Sept. 3. ... RHP
Huston Street
(calf) will throw another bullpen session Tuesday, he said. He, too, could see minor league action before Sept. 3.